July 07, 2009

A for adoring
adoring: yang mengagumkan, yang dicintai. Dengan kata ini, aku ingin menunjukkan bahwa aku gak pernah berhenti meyakinkan diriku apakah aku benar2 jadi pasangan nya gadis cantik ini. Sampai sekarang pun, aku masih sering tidak percaya. Dia yang selalu dikagumi dan dicintai kini berdiri di sampingku dan menggenggam tanganku? ini pasti mimpi!

R for recourse of mine
recourse: perlindungan, pertolongan. Akhirnya, aku baru tahu bahwa ada pelukan yang benar2 menenangkan. Aku seakan terlindungi saat aku memeluk tubuhnya. Nafasku kembali teratur dan aku mulai berpikir tenang. Dekapannya seakan berbisik "I'm here for you" dan saat itu aku sadar aku tidak lagi sendiri. tidak lagi sendiri?! Ini mungkin mimpi ku yang kedua!

V for vulnerable but reliable
vulnerable: mudah terserang (sec. perasaan). Kata-kata ini ingin menunjukkan betapa paradoksnya wanita ini. Dia bukan manusia sempurna yang mampu menahan semua beban di pundaknya. Dia rapuh, tetapi dia bukan pengeluh. Dia defensive, tapi dia penurut. Dia cuek, tapi dia punya semua perhatian di tangannya. Dia terlalu paradoks. Tapi itulah dia.


Cuma 3 huruf yang aku bisa jelaskan tentang apa yang kurasakan kepada wanita ini. Bukan karena ku terlalu sedikit mengenalnya, tapi justru karena aku terlalu mengenalnya. Aku bahkan tidak tahu apakah aku punya kosakata yang cukup buat menggambarkan kesempurnaan wanita ini.

Hari ini, wanita ini merayakan ulang tahunnya yang ke 22. Hari ulang tahun kali ini terasa beda dari tahun sebelumnya, karena kali ini dia sudah memiliki ST yang mengikuti namanya. Sarjana Teknik! Lihat?! Kesempurnaan itu tidak berhenti. Ia tetap mencari dan menyempurnakan dirinya. Masa depan yang menjanjikan tinggal menunggu waktu. Kerja, S2 atau membentu keluarga? semua ada di tangannya.

Aku hanya akan berdoa untuknya. Menikmati indahnya dari sisi gelapku. Melihat ia tumbuh merangkai kepingan hidupnya serta berharap ada aku di kepingan itu. Yah, berharap mimpi ini jadi kenyataan.

Aku lupa memberi tahu, nama wanita itu adalah Arviani, byk orang memanggilnya A.R.V.I. Hm,, sepertinya aku masih punya I untuknya.

I for I LOVE ARVI. Walau aku tidak pernah merasa pantas (setidaknya sampai hari ini) buat dia, I just Love her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARVIANI MANAHERA!
POSTED IN the-better-life.blogspot.com

copyright (C) 2009. Adolf Corp.

Can Money Buy Happiness? (Based on scientific research)

What am I thinking now?

I should finish my final assignment, and then I will find a job. Since I will graduate from the well-known university, I deserve the well-paid job.

Wait a sec! What is the money for?

I don't know. It probably can give happiness to me. I can afford many things.

So, are you telling me that money can buy happiness?

A short conversation above was really happening in my mind. I didn't know the answer. And somehow, I just believed that kind of situation happens to you too, fellow readers. So I did a little dig on what promotes happiness the most. And then, I come up with this. Let's check it out.

Elizabeth W. Dunn, associate professor of University of British Columbia majoring Psychology, said that she won't surprise if people who did something for others would promote more happiness than people who didn't. But she surprised when she found out how big the positive impact of spending money on others to promote happiness. And of course, it has nothing to do with the amount of money you have. "This research shows that little change of ways in spending money will make us feel a different way of happiness", said Dunn via phone-interview session. It doesn't mean that we should have a huge salary and then we give them for others. No, it is not like that! The point is just to give what you have for others, and do it in your ways! Dunn added,"Nothing's special about the money! The most important things are your time and your involvement to help others."

Here is how the research were conducted. This research initiated by asking 632 Americans (55% female) to rate their general happiness, report their annual income, and estimate how much they spent on bills/expenses, donate for charity, gifts for others, etc. The first two categories are summarized to create index of personal spending. And the other two are summarized to create index of pro-social spending. Then these two indexes are statistically tested. Using the regression analysis, this research revealed that the personal spending was unrelated with happiness. Statistically speaking, it was not significant. On the contrary, pro-social spending was related with happiness.

Another research taken by Dunn, they took 45 Canadian students to rate their happiness. They were given money, at least $5 each. Of course, they got a different amount of money. They were given a directive. Some of them were told to spend money on them. And some of them were told to spend money on others. At the end of the day, they rated their happiness and the results revealed that students who spent money on others experienced more happiness than some other students.

Conclusion of the research, people who spend more money on others experienced greater happiness than people who spend more money on themselves. Further result, the amount of money we make has nothing to do with our happiness. But the amount of money we make has something to do with the way we spend our money.

Final decision, I deserve well-paid company for I have already known my way of spending money. I am going to spend more money on others. Yeah, I will! It will be my happiness. No, it is my dream!

Still, I can't answer the question. Can money buy happiness?

(reference: Dunn, E. Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness. Univ of British Columbia)

Letter From Lord

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.

P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to remind a friend about this; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day.

At the final analysis:

Lord has seen you struggling,

He say it's over.

A blessing is coming your way.

Angkuh ku

Jiwa-jiwa merintih..
tertatih, terkekang, terhimpit bahkan terjatuh.
Mereka meringkuk di sudut sempit nurani..
Berteriak-teriak mencari sosok berhati.


Jeritannya mengusikku..
namun kutolak, palingkan wajah
Tak menatap potret jiwa yang asing..
kucoba tenggelam dalam logika agungku


Ku dengar samar..
ia berontak tegas!
melawan yang kusebut takdir


Ku dengar samar..
ia bertarung!
menjawab tantangan hidup


Sesaat.. aku terhenyak..
terkagum pada jiwa yang terabaikan


Jeritannya menyibak jubah kemanusiaan ku,
meruntuhkan angkuh tahta diri ku
Gigihnya merengkuh sehelai napas,
ajarkan ku memberi arti berbeda bagi hidup


the AtMoSpHeRe
Bandung, 18August2006

I got the bricks.

I just feel that I am the boy who wrote the letter right now. Thanks for the brick, God! I am fixing myself from now on.

Waiting For The Brick?!!

I just read this story and found it really inspiring. It is kind of suitable for my situation (or perhaps, yours?). Check it out!!

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ... please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."

With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and May God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.

Fellow readers, I don’t know whether you are being thrown bricks for darting or not. But we do, sometimes. We start ignoring people around us while we are enjoying pursuit of our dreams. Perhaps, we are too busy cope problems. But, is it wrong if I am getting my dreams, even though I have to ignore others? Since, if I fail, I will not get life that I always wanted. I don’t know. It is just frantically post.

It's our choice: Listen to the whisper ... or wait for the brick!